“The King requests your appearance,” the Mage guard told us.
We nodded, as if this was news to us, and quickly scuttled after the guard to the living room, which was odd in itself. The room was gold, from the couches to the coffee table, the recliners, and the chandelier, right along with the carpet and walls. There was even a piano in the corner continually playing soft music, the keys sparkling gold with magic.
This room had always wigged me out, and not due to the color scheme or the piano.
There were sparkles of magic dusting it in various locations. Like it was spelled. To maybe eat you if you sat where you weren’t supposed to. Definitely not my first pick of King Nelson’s rooms. A huge, 52” flat screen TV hung above the gold marble of the fireplace — the TV’s frame gold — and was turned on to a national news station.
The Kings and Antonio stood below it, watching avidly, not paying attention to us even though they had “called” for our presence, so we stood at the back of the room — careful not to rest against the bizarre wall — and watched what they were.
A Com anchor woman with animated facial expressions stated, “First, with the breaking news, we have video footage of Prodigy Ezra Zeller and Prodigy Lily Ruckler, the designated King Vampire and Queen Shifter, under attack today. As you will see, they were not provoking their assailants. From all accounts of the video, it appears they tried to run, and in self-defense, with the help of Prodigy Pearl Cooper and Prodigy Jack Collins, the designated Queen Mage and King Elemental, they took down their accosters.” A pause. “Please be aware this footage is under parental advisory,” not even a second’s pause, “and here’s the footage…”
“Oh, Jesus,” Jack muttered as the video began on the too-big, too-clear, screen.
Whoever was videoing it must have been high on a sand dune because there was grass on the outer edges of the angle. The video started with all of us sitting in one spot, talking, while the camera zoomed in to try to get a better shot. From all appearances, the person had been downwind, and far away, to keep off our radar.
“Wonderful. We now have paparazzi,” Pearl mumbled.
“Stalker, more like,” I clarified.
Ezra grunted.
The shot showed Ezra walking away with his head down, which was pretty much right after he had told us about his late mate. You could hear the wind whipping around as the video showed me running to catch up and then my bumping him into the water. I heard Antonio snicker, but it quickly cut off when King Venclaire nudged him in the ribs. For a moment, it was as if the person recording the video couldn’t choose who to film — Ezra and me, or Jack, Gideon, and Pearl — the shot flying back and forth between us.
The person’s instincts were right, and the footage trained on me laughing and running away from a soaked Ezra. We were moving closer to the camera, so the shot panned back, going wide, and caught Ezra and me racing down the beach. I was cracking up and Ezra was shouting his planned revenge. Although, from this angle, I could see Ezra was actually smiling.
Cocking my head, I observed the footage, seeing a free, joyful side to him as he sped up to torment me, and then slowed to let me get away. He seemed happy, free from his past. And so did I. I huffed, muttering, “I thought I was actually getting away from you on my own.”
He chuckled. “Vampire, sweetheart. Don’t forget it.”
King Fergus hushed us as King Venclaire and King Kincaid glanced over their shoulders, regarding Ezra and me strangely, their eyes darting back and forth between the two of us.
Finally, Ezra muttered, “What? What did we do now?”
Neither answered, glancing at each other, then turned their attention to the screen where we were almost on the camera — you could actually hear us laughing — and apparently, that was when Ezra put on his real speed.
My jaw fell open when I saw him disappear because, at the time, I had thought he was always behind me but, now, I watched as he reappeared off to the side about twenty yards ahead on the beach, watching me for a beat, his arms crossed and a wicked grin on his face before he disappeared again, then reappeared directly behind me.
“Damn,” Jack mumbled. “That was cool.”
Ezra shrugged.
The footage showed Ezra picking me up, which was embarrassing because I was shrieking like a girl, the camera catching Ezra laughing as he turned three times in a fast circle before he chucked me into the ocean. Yeah, with me screeching the whole way.
I groaned.
King Kincaid cleared his throat, which sounded suspiciously like covered amusement, and tilted toward King Nelson, muttering, “I might have to try that technique.”
Pearl and Jack snickered but, after a quick glare from me, they both shut up.